Play Mine (Brooklyn Dawn #3) - Cari Quinn Page 0,16
spoken up yet to cut me off. She nodded for me to continue, so I brushed a stray curl behind my ear and forced out the rest. “So, anyway, I couldn’t sleep, so I took an Uber here.”
“Here?” Lindsey placed her perfectly manicured hands flat on the table. “Late at night?”
“Yeah. I’ve done it before. I like to go to some of the venues and pretend I’m playing for the crowd. And now I don’t have my pianos at home, so I couldn’t play there even if I wanted to.” I hated, absolutely could not stand, that the corners of my eyes prickled. If I started, I wouldn’t be able to stop. “But I shouldn’t have come.”
“No, you shouldn’t have.” Noah’s voice lashed across my skin with enough force that I wouldn’t have been shocked to see blood. “Especially now with our increased security measures, which were put in place due to a credible threat. But even if that threat did not exist, you are a member of a world-famous rock band. Going out alone in the middle of the night without security is stupid.”
“Hey.”
When Noah didn’t so much as acknowledge Cooper, he slammed a hand on the table and whirled to face Noah. “You do not get to call her stupid. Ever. Understand me?”
Noah’s jaw ticked. “I didn’t call her stupid, Dallas, I said what she did was stupid. As I would say the same about you if you did similarly. Or supported such a moronic move.” Then under his breath, he added, “Though you have plenty of your own.”
“Coop,” I pleaded, leaning across the table to reach for his hand. But he paid me no mind.
Cooper rose slowly to his feet, much like a cobra rearing up in preparation to strike. “Seems like you have something you want to say to me.” He cracked his knuckles. “Let’s take this outside.”
“Let’s not.” Lila sat back in her chair and crossed her arms. “Maybe neither of you are willing to let Teagan finish, but I am. Go ahead, Teagan.”
Still no Ms. Daly. Minor miracle.
Shooting a quick apologetic glance at Cooper—who remained standing, fists under his arms—I said the rest of it as quickly as possible. Using my pass, playing on stage, hearing the weird feedback sound and that sensation of being watched. Then going backstage to possibly confront whomever was there until my terror drove me out.
What I didn’t mention? The call from my ex. Destroying private property while I was freaked out was bad enough. Reminding everyone yet again about my disastrous taste in men seemed like another nail in my coffin.
Besides, he wasn’t involved. He couldn’t be. We’d been broken up for years. I was sure he didn’t give a shit what I was doing now.
Then why did he call you in the middle of the night?
He hadn’t left a voicemail. I’d checked. But he’d called, because I’d checked the call log again today just in case I’d been hallucinating last night.
Nope. Still there. And when things calmed down and I knew just how badly my life had gone to pieces this morning, I would decide how I was going to deal with him.
But much as I hated it, I would have to tell my bandmates. Probably before this meeting was over.
“That’s why you had my sticks.” Cooper’s tone held none of the rancor that it had contained when he’d spoken to Noah. “To defend yourself.” His Adam’s apple bobbed. “I’d gathered as much, but that look on your face… You were afraid for your life.”
There was no denying it. “Yeah.” I wiped my sweaty palms on my pants. “It was a dumb thing to do. Just because I’ve done it before and it was fine doesn’t mean everything is the same now. It isn’t. Plus, I’m jumpy as fuck,” I let out a harsh laugh, “so I had no business doing that. I’m sorry, Noah.”
“Fuck that. You don’t have to apologize to him. For all our supposed security, where was he last night? Wasn’t with you, wasn’t watching your place. Such fancy-ass security, huh, Jordan?”
“You know the rules when we’re off tour. But thanks to Ms. Daly, that is going to be changing,” Donovan said before Noah could reply.
I shut my eyes, wishing I could vanish. Just disappear from this room.
“Not entirely due to you, Teagan,” Donovan added, his voice softening. “You’re hardly the only one of your band members to do something ill-advised without the benefit of security.”